


You Are the Only One

by bisexualbarry



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, CEO Oliver Queen, Cheese, Fluff, M/M, Marriage, Married Olivarry, Past Relationship(s), Riding, Smut, Weddings, minor cheating, only at the beginning, slight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 19:50:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualbarry/pseuds/bisexualbarry
Summary: Barry and Oliver split just before graduation and both moved to different cities. Ten years later, they bump into one another at Jitters, and Barry realises he's not over Oliver.Too bad Oliver's already planning a wedding.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HOLY HELL THIS TOOK ME AGES
> 
> this got a little out of control length wise, but no complaints here (;
> 
>  
> 
> [one shot is based a lot off this song](https://youtu.be/obCY-Nv47YQ)

Bouncing his knee nervously, Barry kept his eyes trained on the large field in front of him. The bleachers were cold under his butt, and there were visible puffs of air escaping from between his lips as he breathed. Winter still had a bit of a grip on the weather, making the spring still a bit cold yet. Barry was bundled in his boyfriend’s hoodie, curling into himself a bit to keep from shivering. Oliver was on the soccer field in front of him, practicing with the rest of the team. It may be cold yet, but spring sports still went on. Oliver was a bit lucky, though, due to all the running, the teenager was sweaty and warm. Unlike Barry, who was growing numb to the cold. 

The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of practice. A few of the other boys waved up towards Barry, including Oliver’s best friend, Tommy. Oliver stayed behind to talk to Coach Slade. Tommy was hovering back a bit, waiting for Oliver as he sipped at his water. Barry was waiting for Oliver to finish up so they could ride home together. Joe was already expecting Barry to be a bit later, anyway, since Barry always waited for his boyfriend to finish soccer practice. 

Once Oliver was done, to Barry’s surprise, instead of heading with Tommy into the locker room, he jogged up the bleachers to Barry. Barry playfully covered his nose with the sleeves of the hoodie, his eyes lit up in amusement. “You’re not touching me until after you take a shower. You smell awful.” 

Chuckling, Oliver wasn’t deterred as he pulled Barry’s hands down gently. “But you look so cute in my hoodie,” he said with a grin before kissing Barry sweetly. 

Barry hummed against his lips, kissing him a minute before pulling away. “You’re all sweaty and gross, go shower. I’ll wait for you in front of the school.” 

Oliver just playfully rolled his eyes before heading back down the bleachers. Tommy was smirking as he sent a wave Barry’s way. Blushing, Barry waved back, barely concealing a smile as he stood up and grabbed his backpack. 

As was usual for Oliver, Barry didn’t have to wait for more than ten minutes for his boyfriend to emerge from the bathroom. He had taken Barry by surprise, sneaking up behind him and wrapping his arms around the teenager’s waist. Barry yelped and almost dropped his phone before sinking back into Oliver’s embrace. “Holy hell, Oliver. You scared the shit out of me.” 

Oliver didn’t reply, instead pressing soft kisses to where Barry’s neck was exposed. Barry bit his bottom lip, tilting his head to the side a bit so Oliver had more skin to kiss. Nobody else was on school property, and the other players were used to the couple’s antics enough they didn’t take too much notice. 

Turning around in Oliver’s arms, Barry wrapped his arms loosely around Oliver’s neck, pulling him for a kiss. He couldn’t help but smile against Oliver’s lips as a hand snuck its way up the back of his shirt, a warm palm pressing into his lower back. “Mm, you smell much better now,” he murmured, chuckling when Oliver just huffed out a laugh. 

“You’re a brat,” was Oliver’s reply. He pulled back a bit so they could talk, but not too far that Barry’s couldn’t feel the heat from him anymore. “You looked cute sitting up in the bleachers watching with my hoodie on.” 

“You always think I look cute,” Barry said, but he was grinning, and his blush had returned to his cheeks. 

“Well, you’re my boyfriend, and I love you very much.” Oliver pressed another kiss to Barry’s lips. Then his voice turned softer. “I always think you’re beautiful.” 

“Sap,” Barry muttered, but he felt his blush deepen at the compliment. 

Pulling away fully, Barry picked his bag off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. With his other hand, he grabbed Oliver’s, lacing their fingers together and swinging them lightly as they walked to the soccer player’s car. 

“I’m actually excited for college this year,” Barry said, gently squeezing Oliver’s hand. “National City University has the best forensics program in the state, and I got the acceptance letter in the mail over the weekend. Both Joe and Iris are super happy for me, even though it’s so far away.” 

Oliver suddenly stopped them, Barry almost not catching it until his hand was jerked back a little. He turned to Oliver, who had a confused look on his face. “I thought we were both going to the university here in Central,” he said. “I got the soccer scholarship for there, and they have a good program for you. What happened to going to school together like we’ve been planning?” 

“Oliver, this is _National City University_. They have the leading forensics program in the state. I can’t pass that up,” Barry explained. He took both of Oliver’s hands into his, smile dropping a bit when Oliver pulled them both back. “Ollie, you have to understand-” 

“But why am I just now hearing about this, Barry?” Oliver asked, feeling angry and upset. “We graduate in four months, and we’ve been planning this since our _sophomore year_. Why are you suddenly changing everything now?” 

“I’m not suddenly changing anything, Oliver. I’ve talked about this school for months now. Why aren’t you supporting me?” Barry asked back stubbornly. The few people still lingering in the parking lot were starting to look over towards them. Barry couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge them or the way his voice was echoing. “In case you’ve forgotten, it’s not like you exactly need the scholarship to go anywhere, your parents can easily enough cover the costs.” 

“That’s not the point, Barry! The point is you’re suddenly changing schools on me, and telling me last minute. That’s what I’m upset about. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if you wanted to go there, but you need to tell me these things.” 

Barry rolled his eyes. “Not everything is about you, Oliver. I’ve told you before this is the college of my dreams. I’m going to this college. Whether or not you want to come with me is up to you. I’m not changing my mind on this.” 

Oliver clenched his jaw. They were for sure catching attention by now. While they did occasionally argue, it was never this loud or intense. From the corner of his eye, Barry could see both Tommy and Coach Slade starting to make their way over to them. 

“Fine. You want it that way, then we’re done, Barry.” 

The words felt like a slap across his face, and Barry fish mouthed for a minute. “What?” 

“You heard me, Barry. You clearly don’t seem to want me to go to school with you, so why should I bother trying to make our relationship work anyway? We’re done, Barry, and that’s final.” Oliver brushed past him, bumping his shoulder a bit on the way. 

Barry stood there, shocked a minute. The two figures who had been coming towards them had stopped as well, having heard everything. Finally, Barry snapped out of it, tears in his eyes as he chased Oliver towards his car. “Wait, Ollie, you don’t mean that, right?” he asked, feeling desperate as he grabbed Oliver’s arm. 

Oliver was quick to shake him off. “Yes, I mean it, Barry. Have fun at your college in National City.” He got into the car without another word. 

Barry stood there, sobbing, as he watched Oliver drive off. His heart felt like it was shattered in his chest. Just that afternoon that had been talking about plans for a date night for that weekend, and a few hours later, they had broken up. 

“My heart is forever yours,” Barry muttered, sitting down on the sidewalk in defeat. 

 **~*~**  

 _Ten years later..._  

“Barry, are the reports for the Saunders case done yet?” Detective Joe West asked, popping his head into the CSI’s lab. 

“Almost. I’m just finishing it up,” Barry replied, smiling over at Joe before focusing back on his work. “Did Iris tell you if she was on her way yet or not?” 

“No, but I assume she is. She usually gets out of work about this time.” Joe walked over and sat on the edge of Barry’s work desk. “What are you two up to today?” 

“Nothing much. We’re either heading to Jitters or Big Belly Burger and she’s going to tell me about her recent date with Linda,” Barry said, smiling a little at the thought of his best friend being happy. 

“She still trying to set you up?” Joe asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

Barry let out a soft chuckle. Ever since college, Iris had been trying in vain to set Barry up with someone. In fact, it’s how she met Linda. Iris had bumped into the other girl in a book store, and they got to talking. Originally, Iris had intended to set up a blind date for Barry with Linda, but when Barry bailed for a case, Iris had gone instead. Barry didn’t really remember many of the details that Iris had told him, but they had hit it off well. Four years later, and they were as happy as could be. 

“Yeah, but she kind of gave up once she met Linda, to be honest with you,” Barry answered. He finished the report before handing it to Joe. “I’m finished for the day, so I’m heading out early.” 

“Alright. Take it easy, kid.” Joe patted his shoulder before getting up and heading back downstairs. 

Barry let out a soft sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose before he, too, was standing from the desk. He gathered up his things, not paying attention to the lack of pictures that were on his desk. Iris usually complained how lifeless it looked, despite Barry being there for five years. Barry didn’t want to admit he didn’t want any pictures up because his life hadn’t turned out anything like he thought. 

Barry ended up meeting Iris at Jitters, where she was already sipping on her usual coffee. She had her sleeves pulled over her hands as she scrolled on her phone, making Barry raise an eyebrow as he made his way over. 

“Hey,” he greeted, making her jump as he sat down across from her. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, sorry. Got caught up in this Facebook article.” She locked her phone before grinning at Barry. “So I have some news.” 

“Can I get some coffee really quick? I’ve been doing paperwork all day today, I need it.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Iris shooed him off, causing Barry to laugh as he walked up to the counter to order his usual. 

When he got back, Iris looked like she was ready to bounce off her seat in excitement. Before Barry could ask what was on her mind, she was shoving her hand into his face, showing off the shiny new ring on her left ring finger. Barry’s eyes widened a minute before he was grinning. “Congrats, Iris! Did she ask you last night?” 

“Yes! It was at the bottom of the glass of wine I was drinking. Almost choked on it because I didn’t see it, but.” Iris was chuckling, admiring the ring again. “I’m so happy, Barry. I’m convinced she’s my soulmate.” 

“Wow.” Barry chuckled. “Looks like we were always wrong about me getting married before you.” 

Iris’s smile turned a little sad. “That was high school, Barry,” she said softly. She then sat up a little. “You know what sounds good right now? Big Belly Burger. C’mon, it’s my treat.” 

“Iris, I’ll pay. As a congratulations for the engagement,” Barry insisted as they walked out. He was cupping his cup of coffee close to himself, but drinking it in large sips so it’d be finished before they got to the restaurant. “I don’t need you buying me food just because I feel sorry for myself.” _Again._  

Iris sighed, but hooked her arm with Barry’s regardless. “Alright. But the next time we do go out, it will be my treat this time.” They walked in silence a bit before Iris spoke again. “Did you hear a CEO from Starling is in town for a while? I don’t remember what one, but he has a place here in Central, and he plans on building a location here. Apparently, his fiancée wants to settle down here since Starling’s crime rates have gotten worse in recent years.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Barry said, smiling a little. “Central’s a nice place to settle down in. I missed it a ton when I was studying in National.” 

“Yeah, well you’re here now, and that’s all that matters, right?” Iris asked with a grin. 

They got to the restaurant, and almost ran into a blonde woman on her way out. She was holding a few take-out containers that thankfully didn’t spill, and started apologizing profusely about not seeing either of them on her way out. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Barry said. “No harm done, right?” 

“Right. Well, still. I should’ve looked where I was going,” the woman said. “I’m new to Central, the last thing I need is people not liking me.” 

Barry let out a laugh. “Well I can assure you that you don't have to worry about that with us. I’m Barry, by the way, and this is my friend, Iris. If you’d like, we can give you a tour of Central?” 

“I’m Felicity, and that’s okay. My fiancé lived here for most of his life, so he already knows the city,” she said. “I’m actually on my way to meet with him for dinner, actually. He would probably forget to eat if it weren’t for me reminding him. Why don’t you come with? We’re planning on eating at the park since it’s so nice out.” 

“We would love to, but we actually have to decline,” Iris said, catching Barry’s attention. Iris held up her own ring. “I promised my own fiancée I’d bring food home for her.” 

“Oh, no, I totally get it, it’s okay.” Felicity waved her free hand, groaning when her phone dinged. “That would be him. Well, it was nice meeting you two. Hopefully we’ll bump into each other again under better circumstances.” 

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Iris agreed. Once Felicity was out of earshot, Iris turned to Barry. “Man, if she wasn’t engaged, you two would be cute together. She has that nervous rambling you seem to do when you’re under pressure.” 

“I do not nervously ramble,” Barry retorted, but it fell on deaf ears as Iris walked inside. 

A few days later, and Barry found himself back in Jitters on his lunch hour. There was a big case going on, so he only had enough time to run to Jitters for a coffee and a muffin before he had to head back. Thankfully, there wasn’t much of a line, and he didn’t have to wait too long before he was ordering. 

As he turned to leave, he couldn’t help but spot a familiar head of blonde hair sitting at one of the tables. Smiling a little to himself, Barry made his way over to the girl, adjusting the items in his hand so he could tap her on the shoulder. 

“Hey, stranger,” he said, laughing a little. “I didn’t think I would run into you again so soon.” 

Felicity laughed. “To be fair, I didn’t either. But everybody keeps telling me what wonderful coffee they have here, so I had to try it. I must admit, they are a lot better than my usual place in Starling.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. Are you settling in okay, then?” Barry asked, lightly sipping at his coffee. Captain Singh wouldn’t be mad if Barry took a few extra minutes. After all, the captain _was_ saying Barry worked too hard. 

“Yeah. Like I said before, my fiancé has lived here for most of his life, so that definitely makes things a lot easier.” She gestured to the seat next to her. “C’mon and sit. He’s in the bathroom right now, but he’s super friendly and won’t mind.” She sat up a little smiling. “In fact, he’s on his way back now.” 

Barry looked up, feeling himself pale when he suddenly met Oliver’s blue eyes. Oliver was shocked, too, if the pause in his steps was anything to go by. Felicity, sensing the tension, didn’t speak up, but she definitely looks confused. Oliver soon broke from his stupor and made his way to the table, awkwardly sitting down in the seat across from both Felicity and Barry. 

“Hello, Barry,” Oliver said, his voice and body stiff. 

“Hi, Oliver,” Barry replied, not missing the flinch from Oliver. Barry wasn’t sure if it was because Barry always called him ‘Ollie’ or because ten years had passed since they spoke to each other last. Either way, Barry couldn’t miss the reaction even if he wanted to. 

“You two know each other?” Felicity asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“We dated back in high school,” Oliver replied, causing Felicity to pause in her movements. 

“Yeah, but the last time I saw him was after we got into a huge argument, and he went storming away after breaking my heart by breaking up with me,” Barry replied, tearing off a bit of his muffin a bit too harshly. 

“I wouldn’t have broken up with you if you hadn’t told me last minute you were going to a different college,” Oliver replied. He didn’t sound as angry as he did when he was eighteen, but he still did sound upset about it. Barry wondered if he thought about the argument as much as Barry did. 

“Well, that was in the past,” Felicity said, trying her best to calm things. “Why don’t we have dinner together at our place this weekend? You can bring Iris and her fiancée, and whoever you’re currently with.” 

“I actually have a very sad dating history since high school,” Barry admitted with a laugh. “But I’m sure Iris and Linda would love to come over.” 

“Great! Here, type in your number and I’ll text you the details.” Felicity handed her phone to Barry. “And don’t worry about bringing anything, we have enough at the house, and we can always go pick something up if we’re short on anything.” 

“Okay.” Barry handed her her phone back before standing up. “I need to get to work, but it was nice seeing you. I’ll see you later.” 

“Bye,” Felicity said, ignoring the way Oliver avoided looking at Barry.


	2. Chapter 2

The weekend came quickly, and even though he was going with both Iris and Linda, being in a small space with Oliver for the first time in ten years made Barry’s heart race. Seeing Oliver again had brought up emotions he was certain he had kept buried deep. In all honesty, he wasn’t looking too forward to the dinner, but he didn’t want to disappoint Felicity by skipping out. After all, Felicity was only trying to help them smooth things over between them. 

Iris had brought a dessert despite Felicity telling them they didn’t have to. It wasn’t anything more than her mother’s recipe for fudge brownies, but Barry always started drooling at the sight of them. 

When they get to the apartment, Barry is struck by how homey and open the whole place felt. He was pretty sure it was Felicity who had done most of the decorating, because Oliver’s room was always clutter with stuff, and had random knickknacks everywhere. Iris and Linda went into the kitchen where Felicity was finishing a few things up. Barry took the time to inspect the photos hanging on the walls. 

There were a few Barry didn’t recognize at all, which he assumed were all Felicity’s. The ones he did, however, made him feel a pang of longing as he looked over the pictures of Oliver and his family. He finally stopped at one that had Oliver and a group of other teenagers sitting around. Barry could remember the picture being taken. They had been at Oliver’s after one of his tournaments, celebrating the fact their school had placed second. If Barry looked hard enough, he could see him and Oliver wrapped around each other on the couch in the back of the photo. 

“I never really put two and two together until I bumped into you at Big Belly Burger,” Felicity said, startling Barry from his daze of memories. “He’s had that photo on the wall since I met him. Didn’t surprise me much when he hung it up here, as well.” 

“The fact we used to date doesn’t bother you, does it?” Barry asked. 

“Should it?” Felicity raised in eyebrow in question. “Oliver’s never talked about you to me before. And anytime I try asking about this photo to Thea or Moira, Oliver gives them a glare. It’s like a taboo or something.” She sighed softly. “Now I know why.” 

Barry bit his bottom lip as he looked back at the photo. “We planned on getting married sometime after we graduated high school,” he told her. “We had been dating since sophomore year, and at the time we knew we were pretty much it for each other. We made plans to both go to Central City University. Either get married while going there, or wait until after we graduated. But then I got accepted into a university in National City, and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Oliver got mad and started telling me how I was ruining all of the plans we had made together. Broke up with me because of it, and I never talked to him again until I saw him in Jitters.” 

“What about in school?” 

“Oh, please. Oliver avoided me like the plague for the last of high school. Anytime he needed something from me, he’d go through Tommy.” Barry sighed softly. “I still have his soccer hoodie, though. I refused to part with it.” 

“Tommy used to tell me Oliver used to look for you in the bleachers after you two broke up,” Iris said from next to him. Barry wondered, briefly, if Oliver was hiding away from them to avoid seeing Barry. “He continued it all the way up until graduation.” 

“Well. It’s in the past now. We’ve both moved on, anyway,” Barry said, moving away from the picture. When he looked up, he noticed Oliver standing in the doorway, watching them all. Barry looked back at Iris, who was giving him a look before gesturing with her eyes to the balcony off to the side. 

“Can I talk to you a minute?” Oliver asked, picking up on Iris’s signal despite it being directed towards Barry. “We can go to the balcony for some privacy.” 

“Yeah,” Barry whispered, following Oliver outside. 

Once the two of them were alone, Barry wasn’t sure to do with himself anymore, or even what to say. He sat down on one of the chairs and looked out over Central. “You heard everything, didn’t you?” 

Oliver sat down in the chair next to him. Barry couldn’t even look at him. “Yeah, I did. I wasn’t too surprised when Iris saw me and walked over to you anyway. She always did have a way of getting us to talk.” He was silent a minute before he spoke again. “I’m sorry for the way things ended between us.” 

“Sorry that it ended, or sorry for the way you acted?” Barry risked a glance over at Oliver to see the other man already looking out on the city. 

“Both?” Oliver offered, turning to meet Barry’s eyes. “I acted out of anger, and I shouldn’t have.” 

“I should’ve talked to you about it, to be fair. I can understand where your anger came from.” Barry shrugged. “We both have regrets, Oliver, it isn’t healthy to be stuck in the past.” 

“I’ve missed you, Bear.” 

“I’ve missed you, too, Ollie.” 

Barry looked back out on the city and let out a shaky sigh. “So, you’re CEO of Queen Consolidated then?” When Oliver just shot him a confused look, Barry elaborated. “Iris told me earlier about a CEO from Starling settling down here in Central because his fiancée likes the area. It didn’t take too long to put two and two together.” 

“Oh. Yeah, I am. I took over after I finished school.” Oliver relaxed back in his chair, not looking as stiff now that the initial tenseness was out of the way. 

“Is QC where you met Felicity, then?” 

“No, I, uh. I met her at college,” Oliver answered, awkwardness once more seeping into his tone. “I end up going to the university in Starling. For a business degree, since my family is from there, and I know they have a decent business program.” 

“Oh. I didn’t know you moved.” 

“Yeah. Considering you weren’t going to Central anymore, I didn’t really see a point in going there anymore. Plus, I knew Tommy was going to Starling anyway, so it was a nice little bonus to have him there,” Oliver explained. “Felicity was in one of my math classes, and we sat next to each other in the lectures. Next thing I knew, we were going out. She’s sweet, I love her.” 

“I’m glad you found someone,” Barry said, ignoring the way his gut tightened. Even though they both grew up and went to school in Central, and even made plans to go there, neither of them went through with it. Barry wasn’t sure if he should feel disappointed or mad at himself. 

“Neither of us did follow through on the plans, huh?” Oliver asked sadly. He took a shaky breath, eyes scanning over the buildings in front of him. “What about you, Barry? Have you found anyone?” 

“Not really. Iris has tried setting me many times, but it just hasn’t worked. She actually tried setting me up with Linda, but I didn’t end going, so Iris went in my place. Now they’re engaged, so I guess things worked out okay for them.” Barry shrugged. “Besides, I’m doing well in my career, can’t be too upset with how my life turned out. In five years' time, I end up making my way up to lead CSI at CCPD.” 

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive,” Oliver commented. “I've always told you you’d be a great CSI.” 

Barry felt his cheeks warm as he smiled at Oliver. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “So are you two moving out here permanently then?” 

“I think so. Thea offered to run the branch in Starling, and once a building is put here in Central, that’s where I’ll work,” Oliver said, smiling a little. “I may have been born in Starling, but I was raised in Central. This is my home.” 

Barry smiled back. “I’m happy to hear that. It’s definitely pretty nice here. Nice for settling down and all that.” 

“I can’t believe Iris is engaged,” Oliver said suddenly, causing Barry to look his way. “Seems like just yesterday we were all joking around that you and I would be married before she even found who she wanted to settle down with.” 

“Crazy how stuff changes, huh?” Barry said softly, catching Oliver’s eyes a minute before looking away. “How’s Thea?” 

“She’s okay. She asked about you for a few years after graduation, but only really stopped once I started dating Felicity. Always said she wanted you as a brother instead of me.” Oliver laughed. “She’s dating someone from her archery class now. Roy, is his name. He’s good for her. I’m happy she’s finding a place for herself.” 

“I’m glad, too. I miss her.” 

“She still misses you, too. There’s this photo she keeps in her place, don’t tell her I told you because she would probably kill me, of the three of us when we took her to Chuck-E-Cheese for her fifth birthday. I catch her staring at it every so often when I’m visiting.” 

“I can’t believe we got together when we were fourteen,” Barry said quietly, pulling his knees up to hug them loosely. “Iris was asking me about it the other day. Thea probably did consider me as a brother considering we were together for four years, and she was young.” 

“She still does.” 

Barry looked up and they locked eyes. He couldn’t seem to look away, but Iris was suddenly opening the sliding glass door and peeking her head out. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but the food’s getting cold, and you guys have been out here long enough that the rest of us are starting to get a little worried.” 

“Oh, sorry. I completely forget we aren’t alone,” Barry said, standing up off the chair. He didn’t look in Oliver’s direction as he made his way inside. 

When Barry, Iris, and Linda left later that night, Barry’s back pocket burned where the weight of the new number sat on Barry’s phone. Iris was sending him looks every so often, asking with her eyes if he was alright. Barry and Oliver had talked for a bit more during and after dinner, keeping the conversation light after the heavy conversation outside. 

Iris didn’t have to ask if Barry was okay to know. She always had a way of reading his moods based on how he looked or acted. It was both a blessing and a curse because Barry didn’t enjoy vocalizing how he felt, he also felt like Iris could always see right through him. 

Which is why, when Barry suddenly is happier more often and cracking jokes, she warns him to be careful. 

“I’m not saying to completely stop texting him, Barry, but I do warn you to be careful,” Iris said, pacing a bit behind Barry as he worked at his desk. “I know how you are around Oliver. _You_ know how you are around Oliver. I’m already worried you’re falling in too deep with him again. Look where that got you last time. I’m worried you’re going to get yourself hurt again.” 

“I’ll be fine, Iris, I promise. We’re just texting, anyway. He’s been telling me about his wedding plans, or how the building project is going. They’re not very far on either, but there is a lot of excitement.” Barry looked at Iris with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t need to keep hounding me on this, you know.” 

“I do know, which is why I’m just telling you to be careful. I know you’re an adult, Barry. But...I also know you. You never do things halfway.” Iris sighed, sitting on the desk next to Barry. “And you do everything thinking with your heart. Look how many times you’ve gotten hurt because of that. You can’t blame me.” 

Barry sighed, setting down his pen. “No, I know. And I really do appreciate everything, Iris. I’m just...Oliver’s back in my life. Do you know how miserable I was not talking to him?” 

“I do, Barry, and that’s why I want you to be wary.” Iris gently squeezed his shoulder. “I trust you, Barry, and I know you’ll do the right thing. You know you can get a hold of me at any time if you need any help.” 

“I will, thank you,” Barry said softly, returning the smile Iris gave him before watching as she left his lab to head back to work. She had popped by for her lunch hour and saw Barry texting Oliver. 

Letting out a sigh, Barry sat back in his seat. Along with catching up with Oliver, he had also been slowly getting closer to Felicity. In the month they had known each other, Felicity had quickly proved to be a good friend to both Iris and Barry. She tended to put her foot in her mouth a lot, but always meant well. He could tell by all of their conversations that she really did love Oliver. 

Barry let out a soft sigh, staring down at the paperwork in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to focus on it now. Not after everything Iris said to him got him thinking. Everything him and Oliver had shared would never go away just because Oliver was with someone new. 

Barry wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. 

 **~*~**  

“I don’t think this was the best idea,” Iris said, setting the table with Barry as Joe finished cooking dinner. “I mean, Oliver was over all the time here with you. Is it really a good idea to invite Felicity?” 

“Iris, it’s Joe’s house. What Oliver and I did here doesn’t matter,” Barry replied, shrugging. “Besides, Oliver’s happy with Felicity, it’s not like it matters anyway.” 

Iris sighed softly, but continued setting out the silverware quietly. There was a knock on the front door, and Wally was quick to hurry up and answer it. He reappeared moments later with Oliver and Felicity trailing behind him. 

“Wow, this brings back memories,” Oliver said, hugging Iris and then Joe. “Hasn’t changed much, has it?” 

“Dad didn’t really want to change much after Mom died,” Wally said, sitting down. 

“Francine? I’m so sorry, Joe. I didn’t...I would’ve gone to the funeral had I known,” Oliver said, a guilty expression on his face. 

“It’s alright. Like you said, you didn’t know.” Joe glanced at Barry before smiling at the couple. “Go ahead and sit down, Barry and I will bring the last of the food in.” 

Barry raised an eyebrow but followed behind Joe anyway. There was only a single dish left to bring out, making Barry confused. His confusion was quickly answered by the look on Joe’s face. 

“You told me he couldn’t make it because of his aunt’s wedding,” Joe said softly. The disappointment in his voice made Barry ashamed of not telling Oliver. “I thought he knew.” 

“I couldn’t face him, Joe. Francine died not even a year after Oliver and I broke up. I...I know I should’ve told him, but I just couldn’t face seeing him so soon after losing him. You have to understand that.” 

Joe let out a breath before nodding. “Yeah, I can understand that.” 

“Thank you.” 

Joe patted his shoulder before instructing Barry what to carry out. 

After dinner, they all sat in the living room to talk. Dinner had gone smoothly, and nobody had any glaring obligations the following morning, so they didn’t see any harm in staying longer to talk. Barry, Oliver, and Felicity all sat on the couch with Oliver in the middle. Felicity was looking at the photos on the nearby side table while Oliver just looked around. 

“You really didn’t change much, did you Joe?” Oliver asked in amusement. He then really took notice of the couch and smirked. “Is this the same couch-” 

“That Joe always caught us making out on? The very one,” Barry finished with a laugh. “I’m actually quite surprised it’s stayed in decent condition considering how rough we all were on it.” 

“You two especially,” Joe said with a huff from the recliner. “I’m thankful every day that there wasn’t a time that I ever walked in on you two without any clothes on.” 

Iris gave Joe a look before discreetly gesturing towards Felicity. Barry peeked out of the corner of his eye and saw the fallen look on the girl’s face at the mention of Oliver and Barry. Clearing his throat, Joe then went on to tell a story about the year Oliver thought getting Barry a puppy as a Christmas was a good idea. 

“But he wanted one! And sixteen-year-old me couldn’t resist his pout,” Oliver protested, laughing along with the rest of them. 

“You’ve never been able to resist my pout,” Barry said, bumping shoulders with the other man. Barry’s breath caught a little when Oliver turned to look at him. They stared at one another moment before Barry forced himself to look away. “I remember both Joe and Francine made you return the puppy, much to the disappoint of everybody involved.” 

Felicity was quiet for much of the conversation from then on. Iris tried bringing her to the conversation, but someone tended to derail them all into another memory, and Felicity really couldn’t say anything to add to the conversation. Barry felt a bit bad for all the conversation going around her that she couldn’t participate in, but the warmth radiating from being so close to Oliver made him forget all about the girl he was engaged to sitting on the other side. 

When they go to leave a few hours later, Felicity opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something to Barry. She then closed it and gave him a small smile. “It was a nice evening, Barry, thank you.” 

“Have a good night, Felicity.” 

“You, too, Barry.” 

Oliver pulled Barry into a quick hug before either of them could register. By the time he was pulling back, there was a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Thank you for tonight, it was nice catching up with all of you.” 

“Yeah, same to you,” Barry replied, feeling a little light headed from standing so close to Oliver. 

Oliver stood there awkwardly a minute, before wishing a brief goodnight and following Felicity out the door. Barry felt eyes on the back of his head as he shut the door, and, as predicted, Iris was leaning against the back of the couch, watching it all happen. 

Barry gave her a strained smile before disappearing up to one of the guest rooms. 

As Barry was sitting on the bed later that night, a knock on the closed door startled him from his thoughts. Iris walked through the doorway a moment later, as Barry had figured she would at some point that night. 

“Are you okay?” Iris asked softly, sitting next to him on the bed. “You’ve been quiet all night.” 

“Isn’t that the point?” Barry weakly joked. He smiled when Iris leveled him with a look. “Yeah, I’m alright. Reliving all those memories...it brought back a lot of things I wasn’t prepared to feel.” 

“Like what in particular?” Iris prompted. Barry had a hunch she already knew what he was about to say, but he wasn’t about to comment on it. 

“Oliver,” Barry said simply. It was enough to explain the mess in his head. The way how, even after ten years, Barry still got butterflies being around Oliver. He still felt like he was sixteen when he was with Oliver. Even after all the time had passed “my feelings for him never went away.” 

Iris gave him a sad smile. “I know,” she said softly. She rubbed his back in comfort, thinking over what to say. “Honestly, you seemed to have heart eyes for him all night. If it hadn’t been for Felicity, I’m pretty sure you would’ve started making out with him.”

Barry let out a chuckle, but it sounded sad even to his own ears. “I’ve tried moving on, Iris, but I honestly think that’s why none of the dates you’ve set me up on have ever worked.” 

“I figured it had something to do with it, in all honesty.” Iris shrugged. “That’s why I gave up after finding Linda. I figured I couldn’t force you to move on if you didn’t want to.” 

“Even though it’s been so long?” 

“There’s no time limit when it comes to feelings, Barry. And I know that, despite all the joking we did, you were ready to marry Oliver the second you turned eighteen. Don’t think I never saw you doodling in your notebook when we were in class. I also know that’s why you were looking so forward to your eighteenth. Honestly, Joe was expecting Oliver to ask for his permission to marry you so he could propose on your eighteenth.” 

“Didn’t think I was that obvious.” 

“Not to everybody. Just anybody who knew you well enough.” Iris gave him another sad smile. “I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but you’re going to have to let go.” 

“I know,” Barry whispered. He closed his eyes, already feeling the tears brimming. He laid his head on Iris’s shoulder, feeling her wrapping her arms around in comfort. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that.” 

“I know,” Iris whispered. She kissed the top of his head, a hand still moving up and down Barry’s back. “You know we’ll always be here for you, Barry. And I know it’ll be hard, but you won’t be alone.” 

“I always figured we’d come back to this one day,” Barry said, opening his eyes. Tears were streaming down his face, and he didn’t even bother to wipe them away. “This was once my room, and I still remember clearly when you were comforting me after my breakup with Oliver.” 

“I was ready to go breaking down his door for breaking your heart. But I knew you wouldn’t want that, and I also knew that you needed me more here than yelling at him.” 

“You’re too good for me, Iris. I don’t deserve a friend as great as you,” Barry said honestly, turning his head a little to catch her eyes. “Thank you for everything.” 

“You know I’ll always be here for you, Barry.” Iris moved back a little, letting Barry sit up before she moved off the bed. “Will you be okay, or did you need one of our sleepovers tonight?” 

Chuckling, Barry just shook his head. “I’ll be okay, thank you.” 

“I’m just down the hall if you need me,” Iris said before slipping out the door and down to the other room.


	3. Chapter 3

The envelope burned in his hands. 

Felicity’s name was in the return address in the top left corner, so Barry already knew what it was before he even opened it. Iris was watching him from where she was sitting with him in the living room. She had gotten hers the day before, so she knew Barry would be getting his own soon, and had gone to Barry's when he received his own.

“Barry, you don’t have to go, you know,” Iris told him, nodding to the envelope. “Felicity and Oliver wouldn’t mind.” 

“No, I know. I’m just...I _want_ to go, is the thing,” Barry explained, waving the envelope around a bit. “And I know, _I know_ , attending will be one of the hardest things ever. But a part of me also craves that closure. Plus, we've already talked to Oliver and Felicity about going to their wedding, this is just a formal invite.” 

Iris gave him a proud smile. “I know it’ll be hard, Barry, but I’ll be there with you.” 

“Oliver’s happiness is the most important thing,” Barry stated firmly. “I’m going there to support him in his marriage to Felicity.” 

Iris moved to sit next to Barry and gently squeezed his knee. “You have too big a heart for your body to handle sometimes,” she teased. “C’mon, let’s go get some lunch. I know food always makes you feel better.” 

Later that week, Barry decided to meet up with Oliver at one of the smaller bars in town. When they were younger, they used to sneak in all the time with friends and get drunk off cheap beer. Eventually, the owner caught on and banned them all until they were twenty-one. Walking into the place brought back old memories Barry thought he had buried. Even seeing Oliver waiting for him at their usual table in the back-right corner brought back flashes of the past. 

“Well if this isn’t a blast from the past,” Barry joked as he slid into the booth across from Oliver. Oliver was already nursing a beer, but with how sober Oliver still looked yet, Barry had to guess it was only his first. “How’re wedding plans going?” 

“Nothing like I ever expected,” Oliver said, laughing a little. “God, why did I think marriage was going to be easy?” 

“Well, no one ever said it would be, but when you marry the right person, it might not feel like work at all,” Barry said, smiling a little. “I’m sure you’ll figure that out with Felicity.” 

“I hope so,” Oliver muttered before taking a sip of his beer. “I remember the bartender would never card us since we were friends with his younger brother. I wonder how he’s doing.” 

“He’s a journalist in Coast City,” Barry answered, taking Oliver by surprise. “I kept up with him after graduation. His brother and I ended up both heading to National City for school, so we kept in touch.” 

“Feels like another lifetime, doesn’t it?” Oliver bit his bottom lip. “I haven’t talked to Tommy in at least a year. Last I knew, he was dating Laurel.” 

“Laurel Lance? Really? Wow.” Barry shook his head in disbelief. “Would’ve never thought he’d work up the courage.” 

“C’mon, we’re here to drink, and you’ve been here five minutes and haven’t ordered anything yet.” Oliver laughed, changing the subject a bit. “Go buy a drink.” 

One drink turned into two, which turned into four, until Barry had lost track and his limbs felt loose as he giggled alongside Oliver. Sometime during the evening, Barry had moved sides to sit next to Oliver. Oliver wouldn’t even say anything particularly funny, but Barry always ended up in stitches. 

“I’m still in love with you,” Barry blurted suddenly, not wanting to look away from the intensity that was Oliver’s eyes. “Fuck, Oliver, I’ve never stopped.” 

“I’m still in love with you, too, Barry.” 

Barry couldn’t remember who had leaned in first, but suddenly a pair of lips were on his and that’s all that ever mattered anymore. Kissing Oliver was like coming home, and all the comfort that came with it. The familiarity of the body pressed against his own was still as he remembered, if only better with the new memory, the new feeling, the new _touch_. 

Someone’s phone went off, and Barry pulled back with a blaring moment of clarity. “We shouldn’t have done this,” he stated firmly, feeling a bit panicked. “ _Fuck_ , Oliver. You’re getting married!” 

“I want it to be you,” Oliver muttered, dropping his head to Barry’s shoulder. Barry did his best to shake him off. “Please?” 

“I have to go.” Barry stood up and away from Oliver, not bothering to look back at him. After quickly paying for his tab, Barry fled from the bar. What happened afterwards was a bit of a blur, but he soon found himself in front of the door to Iris’s apartment with tears on his face. 

Barry knocked, the dull thud making a loud noise in the quiet of the hallway. It was eleven pm, and a lot of the occupants of the nearby apartments had work the following day, Iris included, but he had to talk to his best friend. 

Iris opened the door and, as expected, she was wearing a loose grey sleep shirt and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was thrown up into a bun, and any tiredness that was on her face disappeared in an instant when she saw Barry on the other side of the door. 

“Come in,” she said quickly, gesturing Barry inside and closing the door before herding him into the living room. She could more than likely smell the scent of alcohol coming from him, but chose not to say anything. Once they were both sat down, she asked what was, no doubt, the first thing on her mind. “What happened?” 

“I fucked up, Iris. I fucked up big time,” Barry blurted, taking in a shaky breath. “Oliver and I went to that bar we used to frequent all the time when we were younger. And we drank, and there were so many different memories that were going through my head, and I just... _I kissed him_. I kissed him, Iris, and it felt so familiar and so nice that I didn’t really process what was happening at first.” 

“Is there anything else?” 

Barry swallowed thickly. “I told him I was still in love with him. And he said it back, and I’m not sure if it was just the alcohol talking, or if he really did feel that way.” He got up and started pacing, running a hand through his hair every so often. “Iris, I really don’t think I’ll be able to handle seeing Oliver marry Felicity. But I really care about Oliver, and I want to see him happy, even if...even if it’s not with me.” 

Iris was silent for a moment before she was standing up and walking towards him. “Barry, listen to me,” she said firmly, putting her hands on his shoulders to stop him from pacing. “I know how hard this is all for you, Barry, but you need to take a deep breath.” She waited until he did so before speaking again. “I will be here for you every step of the way, alright? I know you didn’t mean to kiss Oliver, and you let your emotions lead. I’m not upset with you or anything.” 

“I know you’re not, but if Felicity hears about this, she will be. She already knows about Oliver and I’s past, if she found out we kissed, she’ll be absolutely crushed,” Barry rambled, taking another step back. “I’m just...Iris, I don’t think I can do this.” 

Iris bit her bottom lip in thought. She looked tired, and Barry felt guilty for waking her up with his ramblings. Finally, she spoke. “Oliver may not remember tonight. And I promise you I won’t breathe a word about this.” 

“No I told you so?” Barry interrupted. 

“That’s the last thing you need right now,” Iris stated firmly. “Like I said, I know you were leading with your emotions, Barry, so I can’t really fault you for anything. Just...promise not to do anything else stupid?” 

“I already broke that promise,” Barry muttered. 

“C’mon and spend the night. It’s late, and you’re still tipsy.” Iris led him the bedroom. “We can talk better in the morning when we’re both fully awake.” 

 **~*~**  

They didn’t end up talking the following morning, but they did talk a few days later. They were once again at Iris’s apartment as Barry recounted the events of the night. Iris helped him the best she could, but in the end, they both knew Barry had messed up. Oliver hadn’t made any comments about it, so they were left to assume he didn’t remember any of it. 

The months leading up to the wedding were fairly miserable overall for Barry. Him and Oliver still talked, but it sometimes felt forced and like Barry didn’t know how to talk to Oliver. Other times it felt like they were back in high school, five seconds away from kissing before it hit Barry that Oliver’s wedding was coming up soon, and it wasn’t with him. 

Barry had been awkward around Felicity for a good few weeks after the incident at the bar. Felicity could tell something was up with Barry, but he was too thankful that she didn’t point it out to bother making up an excuse. Him and Iris helped with some of the planning, and it was Felicity who informed him that he would be one of Oliver’s groomsmen. 

“You guys grew up together, and you’re still incredibly close. I was actually the one who suggested it, and Oliver didn’t seem to mind, so we’re sticking with it,” is what Felicity had told him. Barry couldn’t look her in the eye, so he just agreed to it. 

Overall, the wedding was gorgeous, and Felicity had made sure to plan out every last detail that she could. Felicity was a good friend to Barry, and he truly had no problems or issues regarding her personally. He couldn’t blame her for falling in love with Oliver and wanting to spend the rest of her life with him. There had been a time when he, too, was hoping to be in the exact same position as her. A part of him still wished for that. 

Despite everything, a small part of Barry can’t help but hope that Oliver will bail last minute. It was one of his more selfish thoughts that made its presence known quite often. 

“Hey, Barry. Can I talk to you for a minute?” 

Barry looked up, seeing Oliver hovering in the doorway to the living room. He exchanged a look with Iris before following Oliver into another room, where the door was shut for some privacy. “What’s up?” 

“I wanted to talk to you about the night we were at the bar,” Oliver said, making Barry’s blood run cold. 

“What, uh...what about it?” Barry asked nervously. 

“Nothing bad, I promise. I just, well...” Oliver looked nervous, and he rarely did nowadays, so it made Barry worried. “I don’t really remember much from that night, but I do remember...kissing you.” 

“Oh?” Barry said, feigning nonchalance. 

“I know you remember it, too, Barry, if the way you couldn’t look at me for like two weeks afterward.” 

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to. Do you remember anything else from that night?” 

“No, I don’t. Should I?” 

“No, nothing else happened.” Barry felt his heart drop a little, but he did his best to make sure it wasn’t showing on his face. “Did you tell Felicity?” 

“No, I didn’t. I felt bad enough hanging around my ex that I was once planning on marrying that I didn’t want to make it seem like there were any lingering feelings,” Oliver explained. The words made Barry’s heart break a little more, so he looked away, blinking quickly. 

“Yeah, I get it. I’m still really honored I was included in the wedding party.” 

“As you should be.” Oliver pressed his lips together as he sighed. “Well. That’s all I wanted to talk to you about. Things won’t be weird for us, right?” 

Barry looked up, catching Oliver’s eyes as he did. There was something unreadable in the depths of blue Barry loved looking into. His posture as a whole seemed off, but Barry couldn’t really place why. It looked like he was forcing himself to play off whatever had happened. 

“No, it won’t be weird.” 

“Good.” 

The two men walked back out into the living room to help with the last-minute details. 

On the day of the wedding, Barry wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. He was getting ready with Oliver in one of the side rooms in the reception hall, and he had a hard time doing just that. The ceremony would take place outside, the September weather decided to be a cooler one for the day. Once upon a time, Barry had always pictured Oliver getting ready for a wedding where he would be the other groom. Now, as he helped Oliver with his tie, he was nothing but a groomsman. 

“You never did quite get the hang of this,” Barry teased, straightening the tie. “I had to help you both times we went to prom, and any other function your family dragged us to. Or, well, dragged _you_ to, but you dragged me along so you wouldn’t be bored out of your mind.” Barry gave Oliver a sad smile. “I’ve pictured this before, you know. Getting ready for a wedding. Of course, I thought the whole thing would be different than what it is, but I can’t really say I’m disappointed. You look amazing.” 

Oliver didn't say anything, and the intensity of his look made Barry realise he had yet to step away from his close proximity when fixing the other’s tie. Suddenly, there’s a pair of lips on his, and it took everything in Barry to pull away from it. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but Oliver is quick to cut him off. “Do you have _any_ idea how hard it was for me to tell you that I don’t have feelings for you anymore?” he asked, startling Barry. “I kept telling myself that if I said it enough, it will eventually come true. But you seeing you like this, now makes me realise I’ve never stopped thinking about you.” He gently cupped Barry’s face before putting their foreheads together. “I’ve had those dreams, too, you know. About marrying you, and making you mine in every last way I can.” 

“I’ve already given you my virginity, what more could you possibly want?” Barry joked, but he could feel tears in his eyes from the intensity of the moment. 

“Hey, I gave you mine, too,” Oliver said. There were tears in his own eyes, and it made Barry thankful nobody had walked in on them in such an intimate moment. “My only regret is waiting until now to tell you how I feel.” 

“No, it’s not,” Barry replied, pulling Oliver in for a kiss. “I love you, Oliver. I’m still as in love with you as I was ten years ago.” 

“I love you, too. _God_ , my biggest mistake was letting you go.” 

“Hey, I’m here now, that’s all that matters.” 

Oliver pulled back enough to look Barry in the eye. Barry wasn’t sure what Oliver was looking at so intensely before he spoke. “Let’s run away.” 

“As if this moment wasn’t cheesy enough,” Barry joked. 

“I’m serious, Bear. You and I, let’s go to Coast City for a while.” 

“Wait, what, _now_?” 

“When else?” 

“But-” 

“Barry,” Oliver interrupted, his voice firm. “I love Felicity, I really do, but she will never be you.” 

“Okay, then let’s run.” 

Barry managed to send somewhat of an excuse to Iris about why he was leaving. He wasn’t sure what Oliver was saying to his parents, but Barry didn’t care much as he slipped behind the wheel of his car. Oliver’s bag was thrown into the backseat, and Barry didn’t have anything on him, but they drove out to Coast City anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive to Coast City had been a bit longer than Barry had been anticipating, but he didn’t mind much either way. Both his and Oliver’s phones had blown up around the time the ceremony was supposed to start, but they both ignored it as they drove down the road. 

As Barry sat on the bed in the hotel room, however, it fully dawned on him what they had done. 

“Oliver, you just left Felicity at the altar,” he said, looking up at the man he loved with a bit of distress. “Oh God, everybody’s going to hate me.” 

“Nobody’s going to hate you, Barry. If anything, they’ll hate me,” Oliver said, sitting next to Barry on the bed. “I’ll do damage control once we get back to Central, though.” 

Barry let out a shaky breath, shaking his head. “No, Oliver, I... _God_ , I feel so guilty. Felicity kept going on and on about how excited she was to marry you, and look where it ended up!” 

“Barry, Barry. Relax,” Oliver said, chuckling a little. “Honestly? Felicity has been asking me on and off if I was sure about this marriage once you came back into my life. Especially after you told her you and I were planning on getting married once.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, really. I don’t think Felicity will be upset with you, in all honesty. If anything, this was something that she’s been expecting.” Oliver rubbed Barry’s back. “I love you.” 

Barry felt his heart was fluttering out of his chest. “I love you, too.” 

“C’mon, let’s get ready for bed. I packed an extra toothbrush in my bag.” 

When Barry woke up again in the morning, with the feeling of Oliver pressed against his back and an arm thrown loosely over his waist, he felt like he was on cloud nine. Of course, like anything else, he soon fell from the cloud when his phone lit up with yet another notification. 

Groaning softly, he reached over and grabbed his phone off the nightstand, noticing dozens of missed calls, voicemails, and texts from Iris, Joe, and Felicity. Letting out a breath, Barry slipped out from under Oliver’s arm, and locked himself in the bathroom. 

He read through the texts first, and they’re mostly all the same. From ‘where are you?’ to ‘you’re an idiot’ to ‘you’re an idiot, but I’m worried so call me when you get this please’. The voicemails weren't too much different, so he deleted most of them without bothering to listen to them first. Not wanting to talk to Felicity yet, Barry dialed Iris. 

She answered almost immediately. 

 _“_ _Bartholomew Henry Allen, where the hell are you?!”_  

“Coast City,” Barry answered sheepishly. 

 _“Coast City? Why the hell are you all the way out there?”_  

“Oliver and I needed to get away.” 

There’s silence from the other side before Iris lets out a loud sigh. _“Dad and I have been worried sick about you since you and Oliver took off. Felicity’s a wreck, and neither of you are answering your phones.”_  

“I’m sorry.” 

 _“You should be!”_ Iris sighed again. _“You’re an idiot, I hope you know that.”_  

“It’s been established,” Barry said, chuckling. 

 _“I had to give Felicity a couple of my sleeping pills just so she would calm down enough to fall asleep.”_  

Barry winced. “Oliver told me she kept asking him if she was sure about wanting to marry her. I didn’t really think she’d be upset enough that she needs help to sleep.” 

 _“Barry,_ _you_ _lovable dummy,”_ Iris said, chuckling a little. _“You and I both know how excited she was for this wedding. Are you really_ _surprised_ _she’s upset? Even if she had a feeling there was still something going on between you and Oliver, she still loves him.”_  

Barry bit his bottom lip. “I didn’t think she would get that bad, to be honest.” 

 _“Neither did I. When do you think you two will be home? I know Felicity and Oliver will have a lot to talk about.”_  

“I don’t know, in all honesty. Maybe a week? I’ll have to call Joe after this.” 

 _“Don’t worry about it, I’ll talk to him,”_ Iris said, making Barry feel a bit relieved. _“Look, just...I didn’t think you would ever do anything this stupid, but you did, so enjoy yourself while you’re there. There’s a shit storm waiting for when you two get back.”_  

“Okay. Thank you, Iris.” 

 _“You owe me,”_ Iris said before hanging up. 

Barry sighed softly, setting the phone down on the bathroom counter. “What have we done?” he groaned, putting his head in hands. 

There was a knock on the door, and it startled Barry from going down too far into his self-deprecating thoughts. Unlocking the door, Barry moved to the side to allow Oliver to walk inside. Letting another sigh, Barry let himself be pulled into Oliver’s arms, smiling a bit as Oliver gently rocked them a bit. 

“How much of that did you hear?” Barry muttered into where his face was pressed against Oliver’s neck. 

“Enough to know I’d find you in here upset,” Oliver replied, kissing the side of Barry’s head. “We’ll be okay, Bear. We’re going to have to deal with a lot when we get back, but for now, it’s just us two.” 

“Will your company be okay with you being gone for a week?” Barry asked, cuddling a little closer to Oliver. 

“Yeah, they’ll be okay.” Oliver pulled back and kissed Barry’s forehead. “I’ll have to call Felicity, but I’ll probably head outside to the balcony so you don’t have to hear any of it. Why don’t you order some breakfast and we can eat it once I’m done?” 

“Alright,” Barry said softly. 

He watched as Oliver walked back out and threw on a pair of sweats and a shirt before heading outside. Barry grabbed his own phone, and sent Joe a quick text before ordering him and Oliver some food. 

Oliver was off the phone by the time the food arrived, so they ate in silence for a bit. Finally, Barry had to know what was happening. “So, uh. How’s Felicity?” 

“She’s been better,” Oliver admitted. “She sounded like she was on the verge of tears just from the simple phone call. We’ll have to have a longer talk once we’re in person, but she’ll be okay for the time being. Or, at least that’s what she told me.” 

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” Barry said, stabbing into his eggs and not meeting Oliver’s eyes. 

“I willingly got into this, Barry, it’s not your fault.” Oliver gently tipped Barry’s head up before giving him a sweet kiss. “You taste like the breakfast sausage.” 

Barry chuckled. “It is pretty good, isn’t it?” 

Rolling his eyes playfully, Oliver brought Barry in for a deeper kiss. Their plates were set off the bed before Oliver was gently pushing Barry to lay back. Barry, for his part, gasped into Oliver’s mouth at the action, and eagerly soaked up the attention. 

“It’s been a while, Ollie,” Barry said, kissing along Oliver’s jaw. 

“How long is a while?” Oliver asked, grinding his hips down. 

“Ten years.” 

Clothes were taken off and tossed to various parts of the floor. By the time they were both naked, Barry had latched onto the feeling of Oliver’s warm body pressed against his own, not wanting to move away. 

“I need to get the lube, baby,” Oliver said, the nickname rolling easily off his tongue. 

Barry pouted a little, but reluctantly let go of Oliver so he could get off the bed. He went searching through his bag a minute before producing a bottle of lube. Not wanting to question it, Barry was quick to pull Oliver back and press his lips against the man’s neck, smirking a little at the noises that Oliver was softly making. Distantly, he could feel Oliver’s movements as the man poured lube onto his fingers before there was a finger gently pressing at Barry’s hole. 

“Relax, I’ve got you,” Oliver murmured into Barry’s hair. 

Oliver fingered Barry up slowly, opening him up while his mouth never left Barry’s. It reminded Barry much of the first time they had sex. The slowness, the sweetness of it all. This time, however, they both had plenty of experience that there wasn’t the initial awkwardness this time around. The gentleness of Oliver’s movements almost brought goosebumps to Barry’s arms, if he wasn’t so turned on. 

“God, I forgot how good your fingers felt,” Barry moaned out, riding three of Oliver’s fingers. 

Oliver chuckled, sucking bruises along Barry’s neck as he continued to move his fingers. “I need a refresher on how good you feel,” he said into Barry’s skin, kissing it afterward. 

Barry moaned, hips bucking up. “Fuck me, Ollie. Please.” 

“Okay, okay.” Oliver kissed Barry once more before sitting up. He grabbed a condom and was about to put it on when he looked down at Barry. “I’m so in love with you, Barry Allen.” 

Barry let out a breathless laugh. “I’m so in love with you, too, Oliver Queen. But I’m still hard and waiting to be fucked, so if you could get a move on, that’d be great.” 

“Brat,” Oliver muttered fondly, rolling the condom onto his cock. 

Oliver slowly pushed into Barry, watching his face as he did. Barry was moaning, squirming at the feeling of Oliver slowly filling him up. When Oliver bottomed out, Barry was pulling him down for a kiss. 

“You’re much better than my vibrator,” Barry said, chuckling when Oliver groaned. 

“One day you’ll have to show me,” Oliver replied. 

“Yeah, one day,” Barry said, smiling as his heart fluttered a little at the hidden promise of being together for a while. 

Oliver mouthed at Barry’s throat until Barry gently pinched his hip. Barry could feel the smile against his skin before Oliver started moving his hips. Barry moaned softly, wrapping his legs around Oliver’s waist, meeting Oliver’s thrusts as best he could. 

“I love you so much,” Barry said, running his hands messily through Oliver’s hair. “Every part of you.” 

“I love you, too, Barry,” Oliver said, increasing the pace of his thrusts a bit. “Never leave me, Bear.” 

“Never.” 

Oliver keeps up a consistent pace, fucking into Barry as a steady speed, and Barry was enjoying every minute of it. He missed having sex with Oliver, yes, but he missed just _being_ with Oliver. Being wrapped in his arms, and held like he was the most precious thing. Which, to Oliver, he probably was. 

Oliver shifted a bit and he was suddenly hitting Barry’s prostate as he thrusted. Barry cried out, unintentionally scratching down Oliver’s back at the intense feeling. Oliver sat up a little and started thrusting faster, hitting Barry’s prostate with accuracy that brought Barry to tears from the overwhelming feeling. Oliver didn’t even blink, having saw it happen before when they were younger. 

Barry wrapped a hand around his cock, keeping a steady eye contact with Oliver as he spilled over the edge. He could hear Oliver moaning above him, and felt the familiar stutter of hips as Oliver came into the condom. After riding out their highs, Oliver gently pulled out and threw the condom away in the basket in the bathroom. He also emerged with a dampened rag, cleaning off any sweat and cum he saw. 

Once they both settled back onto the bed, Barry was quick to curl into Oliver, smiling into Oliver’s chest when the other just held him close. “That was better than I remember it being,” he joked, chuckling when Oliver lightly swatted his butt. 

“So, first time in ten years, huh?” Oliver asked, chuckling a little at the blush that colored Barry’s cheeks. 

“I couldn’t bring myself to do it with anybody else,” Barry confessed, gently cupping Oliver’s cheek. “I didn’t want anybody but you.” 

Oliver turned his face and kissed Barry’s palm. “In all honesty, I only started dating Felicity in attempts to get over you. Look how that turned out, too. I loved seeing her happy, so I couldn’t bring myself to break things off with her. Then she kept hinting at marriage, so I proposed and we decided to move to Central. I completely forgot you might’ve moved back after school, so I wasn’t really expecting to ever run into you.” 

“I’m glad you did, though,” Barry said, smiling as he pulled Oliver in for another kiss. “I’ll never get over being able to kiss you.” He then gently patted Oliver’s cheek. “Running into me was destiny, you know. Even the universe says we’re supposed to be together.” 

Oliver laughed, trying to protest, but being quickly quieted by having Barry’s mouth on his. Then he was too busy kissing Barry back to argue Barry’s point.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days they spend in bliss with one another. Barry had forgotten how relaxed he got whenever he was around Oliver, and how much happier he was. If someone ever asked him what exactly about Oliver that made him the happiest, Barry wouldn’t be able to answer. Because, in his eyes, everything about him brought a smile to his face. 

When there were only a few days left of their impromptu vacation, they discovered a small chapel near the outskirts of the city. They bought some rings from a nearby jewelry store and got married in the chapel. The ceremony was relatively short, and there wasn’t really anybody else in the church other than an elderly couple who volunteered to be their witnesses. They hadn’t gone to Coast City to get married, and Barry knew Iris would probably kill him once she found out, but Barry couldn’t be bothered by the turn of events. On a whim decision, Barry decided to take Oliver’s last name, and would have to worry about all the paperwork for the name change once he got back to Central. 

Almost immediately after they stepped foot back in Central, Oliver took off to go talk to Felicity while Barry went to Joe’s house where he knew his family would be waiting for him. He had messaged Iris on their way back about having to talk, and judging by the cars in the driveway, Wally was there as well, along with Joe’s new girlfriend, Cecile. 

Biting his bottom lip, and shoving his left hand into his pocket, Barry made his way into the house. They were all sat in the living room cracking jokes and watching a movie, but quieted once Barry walked into the room. 

“He lives. Here I thought my best friend had just dropped off the face of the planet,” Iris said, but she was standing up to give him a hug anyway. “You’re an idiot, you know that.” She pulled back and hit him in the arm. “That was the stupidest thing you could have ever done.” 

“I know, I know, but...neither of us could help it. Oliver was saying he didn’t really want to go through with the wedding, so we just kind of...left.” Barry rubbed the back of his neck nervously, not seeing the shine on the nearest wall from the action. 

“Barry, are you wearing a ring?” Wally asked, pointing to the shine on the wall. 

Barry froze and suddenly couldn’t meet any of their eyes. “Uh, maybe? We found this little chapel there, and...” He shyly held up his left hand. “We may have eloped?” 

“I missed your wedding?” Iris asked before she huffed a little. “I shouldn’t even be mad about missing it because you shouldn’t have even taken off.” 

“How’s Felicity?” Barry asked instead, avoiding Iris’s wrath. “Oliver’s gone to talk to her, but I doubt I’ll hear anything until later.” 

“She’s not as bad as she was the day of the wedding,” Iris answered. She sat back on the couch, and Barry sat on the arm next to Joe. “She was especially calmed down after the phone call with Oliver. I don’t even want to know what’s going to happen with her conversation with Oliver now.” 

“I never intended to hurt her.” 

“She knows that, Barry,” Joe spoke up, patting Barry’s knee. “She isn’t mad or anything, she’s just...” 

“Upset that she missed the signs,” Iris finished. “She thought with you back in Oliver’s life, something might happen. But then she convinced herself that they were still planning on getting married, so Oliver must not have any more feelings for you, so.” 

Barry bit his bottom lip before letting out a sigh. “Alright,” he said after a moment. “I’ll have to talk to Felicity yet, but Oliver figured it’d be better if he saw her first.” 

“It’s a good idea,” Iris agreed. “It doesn’t hurt to talk to her. Why don’t the three of you have dinner, then?” 

“Won’t that be extremely awkward?” Wally asked. “Especially considering Barry and Oliver are married now? That would just remind Felicity of what she almost had.” 

“Plus, she may think you’re ganging up on her,” Cecile added. 

Barry gave her a small smile before nodding. “Those are all valid points, but the dinner may not be a bad idea. That way she can talk to the both of us and we can lay everything out for her, and she can ask whatever questions she would like to.” 

“Be gentle,” Cecile said. “Felicity’s a bit...fragile right now.” 

Barry nodded before turning to Wally to ask how his last semester of college was going. The topic of his relationship with Oliver and any weddings was dropped for the time being, and talking with his family was a nice way for him to unwind, and forget for a bit. 

Later on, Oliver texted him that things went okay with Felicity. After suggesting it, both Oliver and Felicity agreed that a dinner wouldn’t hurt, but if Felicity asked them to leave, they wouldn’t question it. 

When Barry got there, Oliver was alone in the living room. Apparently, Felicity had shooed him out with a line of “I can order pizza by myself”. Sitting down next to him, a small smile appeared on Barry’s face as Oliver’s arm seemed to automatically wrap around his waist and pull him closer. 

Felicity came out of the kitchen when the pizza arrived, wordlessly setting the box down on the coffee table in front of them while she went and got paper plates and napkins. They ate in silence for a moment before Felicity spoke up. 

“Congratulations on getting married, by the way,” she said, gesturing to the matching rings on the boys’ fingers. “I noticed Oliver’s ring earlier, but didn’t comment on it. Not too surprised to see the rings, though. Especially after everything you told me about you two back in school.” 

“Felicity, I’m sorry.” 

“I can’t really blame you, can I?” Felicity asked, chuckling humorlessly. “I know what it’s like to be in love with Oliver Queen.” She ate quietly for a minute, thinking over what to say next. Both Oliver and Barry remained quiet. “I’m moving out, so don’t worry about having to worry over that or anything. I have a friend here, Caitlin, that said I could live with her until I’m back on my feet.” 

“Felicity-” 

“Don’t worry, Oliver. You...you moved out here to Central for me. The least I can do is leave you the place you’re paying for.” Felicity picked at her pizza, smiling sadly. “Didn’t think I’d be moving this soon after making a home in Central, but what can I do?” 

“Felicity, I-” 

“Barry, there’s no need for you to apologize,” Felicity said. She reached over and gently squeezed his knee. “I am...incredibly hurt by what you both did to me, yes. That will take a while to get over, so I am asking for some space. At first, I was insanely angry at both of you, but now I’m just...numb. I'll have to figure out where to go from here, and how or if I want to salvage a relationship with you two.” 

“Take all the time you need,” Oliver said, having not eaten much. Barry himself didn’t feel very hungry and was nibbling at the piece of pepperoni pizza. “And if you decide you don’t want to speak to either of us again, then that’s entirely up to you.” 

“Thank you.” 

Felicity left about an hour later to head to Caitlin’s, and Barry felt a bit better about the situation overall. While he didn’t want to lose Felicity as a friend, he did understand that he hurt her in the worst possible way he could, so if she decided to never contact them again, he wouldn’t question it. 

After throwing away all the garbage, Barry sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. Touches of Felicity were still scattered everywhere, but it looked like she had begun packing during their week away. There were boxes sitting in the bedroom, so for the most part, Felicity’s influence wasn’t too heavy in there. 

“Why don’t you move in with me?” Oliver asked, sitting next to Barry on the bed. “For one, this place is too big for just me alone. Second, we’re married now, so it wouldn’t make any sense if we lived in two different places.” 

Barry smiled and kissed Oliver’s cheek. “I would love to. I would, however, advise caution with mentioning us being married around Iris for a bit. She’s a bit angry she missed us getting married.” 

Oliver laughed, bringing Barry in for a kiss. “Well, why don’t we have a party for all of our friends and family to celebrate our marriage instead? Let Iris plan most of the details so it’ll make her feel a bit better.” 

“I’m sure she’d love that.” Barry’s smile dimmed a little. “I still feel bad for doing this to Felicity. She’s in an entirely new city now, on her own, and she just lost the man she thought she was going to marry.” 

“She’s strong. I have no doubt she’ll pave her own way here. Besides, when it was just us two, we managed to find some sort of even ground between us.” 

“My hero,” Barry joked, putting their foreheads together. “I love you, you know.” 

“I love you, too.” 

 **~*~**  

Admittedly, Barry moving into Oliver’s apartment took longer than either of them planned. Barry worked out a deal with the landlord of his own apartment complex and was able to move out sooner, and into Oliver’s. Felicity herself moved out quicker than they could blink, and seemed to do it only when the two men were at work. The Caitlin that Felicity moved in with end being one of Barry’s close friends. She would text him from time to time on Felicity, keeping them updated when necessary. Caitlin joked she felt like a spy, but did it either way. She admitted she kept Felicity updated whenever she asked. 

Folding the last box that had stuff of Barry’s felt like crossing the finish line. Barry had sold quite a bit before moving into the apartment with Oliver, so most of the stuff he brought over was personal belongings. Having everything put away and everything finding a place was an amazement accomplishment. 

Riding the high of unpacking yet, Barry was playfully pushing Oliver back into the bed with a chuckle. “I want to ride you,” he muttered against Oliver’s lips as he worked on unbuttoning his own shirt. 

There were hands everywhere as the two of them got undressed. Barry smiled to himself when he felt bare skin under his palms. Hands ran along his sides, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin as he wiggled a little impatiently. 

“Let me grab the lube,” he said, reaching over to grab both the lube and a condom. He gave the condom to Oliver to hold on while he poured the lube onto his own fingers. “Enjoy the show.” 

“Brat,” Oliver muttered, but was watching Barry a bit intensely anyway. 

Barry opened himself up, watching Oliver’s face as he did. His own fingers didn’t feel as great as Oliver’s did, but they did the job. By the time he finished, Oliver looked ready to flip Barry onto his back and fuck him senseless. Based on that look alone, Barry grabbed the condom from Oliver and rolled it onto the other man’s cock. After lubing up more, Barry slowly sank down, moaning as he did. When he was all the way down, he wiggled his hips some, adjusting to the feeling. 

“God, I’ll never get over how good this feels,” Barry said, smirking a little. 

He leaned down and kissed Oliver. He could feel hands on his hips, causing his smirk to widen. Sitting back up, Barry planted his hands on Oliver’s chest as he started moving slowly. 

“I like slowing down,” Barry said, smirking down at Oliver. 

“You’re full of shit,” Oliver said, laughing. 

“No, I’m full of you,” Barry stated cheekily, lightly clenching around Oliver’s cock. 

Barry did speed up riding Oliver’s cock, moaning as he did so. Barry liked riding Oliver every so often, being on top of his husband and watching his face as Barry pleasured himself. There was a hand on his cock, and he moaned louder as Oliver stroked him. 

“God, I love you,” Barry said, trying to angle his hips so his prostate would be hit, and grunting in frustration when he couldn’t seem to find it. “Help me.” 

Oliver moved both of his hands back to Barry’s hips and started fucking up into Barry. Barry let out a cry of surprise before leaning down in attempts to kiss Oliver. He ended up just moaning into Oliver’s mouth as the man fucked into him, hitting his prostate and had Barry to tears as he neared closer to his orgasm. 

“Fuck, I’m close,” Barry muttered, wrapping a hand around his cock. “Don’t stop.” 

“I won’t, don’t worry,” Oliver huffed out. 

Barry was coming a few thrusts later, crying out Oliver’s name as he spilled between them. It only took a couple more thrusts until Oliver was following suit, grunting softly as they both rode out their high. 

Wincing a little at the sensitivity, Barry slowly got off of Oliver and threw away the condom. He grabbed a rag and after cleaning himself off, threw it at Oliver. Flopping in bed next to his husband, Barry let out a content sigh. 

“First sex in our newly shared apartment,” Barry announced, smiling at Oliver. 

“You say that like we haven’t had sex on this bed before.” Oliver chuckled, tossing the rag into the nearby hamper. 

“No, I know. It’s just...this place is officially ours. That sex was like celebration or something.” Barry turned and kissed Oliver. “I love you, Oliver Queen.” 

“I love you, too, Barry Queen.” 

“Who knew we’d get our happily ever after after all?” Barry asked with a chuckle. 

“I did,” Oliver teased, pulling Barry in for a kiss. “By the way, the next time you ride me, I want you to wear my soccer hoodie. Don’t think I didn’t see you unpacking it.” 

**Author's Note:**

> comments fuel me, and keep me caffeinated enough to write more ;D
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://bibibarry.tumblr.com)  
> [my instagram](http://instagram.com/olivxrry)


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